A new survey shows that many employees are caring for older family members at home, and that this is creating stress and anxiety for them:
- 45% of respondents say they’ve been caring or providing support for an older loved one for more than 3 years.
- 43% of respondents say they are distracted, worried, or focused on caregivers – and not their jobs – 5 or more hours per week, while 20% are distracted at work more than 9 hours per week.
- More than half of respondents indicate that their supervisors were not as supportive as they needed them to be about their caregiving responsibilities.
- 79% of respondents did not have access to any benefits to support elderly caregiving responsibilities.
- 84% of respondents say they’re receptive to the idea of their employer offering resources, guidance, and/or support for their caregiving responsibilities.
Many employers seem to be unaware of the tremendous impact of caregiving on employees and the economic and psychological and physical health consequences on workers. This is a gap that needs to be bridged if employers want to attract and keep healthy, productive, happy workers in the post-pandemic world.
